York RB420 Recumbent Exercise Bike Review

Cardio on an exercise bike brings excellent results, but it can sometimes be stressful on your joints, particularly if you have pre-existing injuries or suffer from back pain. 

The York RB420 is a great option with exceptional quality and an affordable price. In this York RB420 Recumbent exercise bike review, we cover everything you need to know about this entry-level recumbent bike from York Fitness. Stick around!

York RB420 Bike Review Summary

If you want to break a sweat and target your lower body, the RB420 York Fitness exercise bike just might be for you. This exercise bike packs excellent performance at an affordable price.

With its sturdy frame and heavy flywheel, the York exercise bike keeps you stable, even if you pedal with force and speed. Enjoy its step-through design, built to perform over 17 programs and 32 resistance levels that will keep your bike workouts varied.

The York RB420 is as easy on your joints as it is on your wallet, being the entry-level recumbent bike from York. While other bikes have added features, this bang-for-your-buck exercise bike is still one of the best deals in the market.

Pros

• A great choice for all ages and fitness levels, particularly seniors and injured users, since the step-through design makes it easy for them to get on and off the bike.
• Easy to move around and install in any room, thanks to the transportation wheels and stabilizers that enable stability on uneven surfaces.
• An adjustable seat allows you to set the backrest and handles on the bike comfortably, or in any way you want.
• The large Blue Backlight LCD screen, which shows parameters like heart rate, calorie consumption, and speed, is easy on the eyes.
• You can turn a dull workout into a fun training session by adding your smart device to a handy tablet holder and enjoying your favourite music or series while keeping fit.
• One of the best value-for-money recumbent bikes on the market.

Cons

• No fancy extras like USB charger or Bluetooth, which some other recumbent bikes have.
• It lacks a wireless heart rate receiver; not essential but would be a nice-to-have at this price point.
• Console is fairly rudimentary, a small increase in budget will open up other models with better displays
• Padded backrest is adequate and comfortable but may be too small for taller users

York RB420 Recumbent Exercise Bike In-Depth Review

As one of the two recumbent bike options from York Fitness, we were intrigued by the RB420 model. After testing it out, this York exercise bike didn’t disappoint us, considering the good price-quality ratio. However, we have some notes for improvement.

Design

If you’re familiar with the York exercise bike line, you’ll understand how they keep their devices simple and straightforward—no unnecessary or outlandish details that may probably add more to the price than the bike’s functionality.

The same principle applies to the York RB420 Recumbent Exercise Bike. Its simple yet sturdy frame handles weights up to 150kg, Its clever step-through design allows people with limited leg mobility to use this machine with ease. That's good for new users that are still trying to get in shape and for those in rehab because of a recent injury.

The comfortable seat on the York RB420 comes with an easy pop-pin adjustment, allowing you to move it for the workout position that suits you best. It also comes with an ergonomic backrest which provides extra support when you need to ease up on your back while working your lower muscles out.

Performance

The York RB420 is already a high-performance bike to begin with, but what makes it shine brighter is that it offers 32 different levels of resistance. This allows you to practise different training styles on a single machine, giving you ample room for progress and moving toward your fitness goals.

For instance, if you’re on a weight loss journey, you can select two specific levels of electronic resistance devoted to reaching a fat-burning heart rate quickly. If you just want to take it easy, then you can opt for an average resistance level.

York added some weight to this recumbent bike by making an extra-heavy flywheel—the heaviest among models of similar performance. An extra 3kg on this part provides more stability to this machine, so you can ride freely at any resistance level.

Programs

The York RB420 has two exercise modes: manual or program. The former allows you to set your own parameters according to your workout requirements, while the latter offers 17 preset workout programs.

While these options are already standard for exercise bikes, the York RB420 Recumbent Exercise Bike’s preset programs offer varying durations and resistance levels. The scalability allows users of different fitness levels to adjust the bike accordingly and increase the resistance as they progress.

The York RB420 also offers a recovery mode that you can access easily after any workout. Just click the recovery key and grip the handlebars for 60 seconds to let the pulse sensors measure your heart rate as you cool down.

This test function shows how long it takes to get to the resting level after an intense workout. It displays the number from 1 (outstanding) to 6 (poor) to rate your fitness level. While there are more detailed and accurate indicators of fitness accessed through other means, this rough estimate comes in handy to measure your progress.

Interface

The large LCD screen on the York RB420 is a nice functional detail. It’s easy on the eyes, thanks to the backlight. This allows you to see certain exercise parameters like speed, time, distance, resistance level, and calories with ease.

A great addition is an option to save the settings for every user, which is great if this bike is used by multiple members. The console stores the profile information for each user, allowing more accurate calorie consumption and heart rate feedback.

The power saving option is also a plus. This recumbent bike goes into sleep mode after being idle or unused (including the pulse sensor) for four minutes. There's no need to unplug it every time you finish a workout.

Ease of Use

There are six buttons on the York RB420's back-lit console for going through programs and resistance levels. Settings are well displayed and the numbers are clear, as the LCD size is at 131mm x 67mm.

Navigating the settings using the keys may take a bit of learning, especially in manual mode. No additional explanations are included in the user manual.

The heavy flywheel and three-piece crank system enable even and stable pedalling. You won’t have difficulties turning the crank, even on a higher level of resistance. While it won’t be an effortless endeavour — high resistance levels feel like moving up a fairly steep hill, anyway — it will go smoothly regardless.

And since the resistance setting is magnetic, the York RB420 recumbent bike is almost silent. The lack of friction in this system means no dust and deposits, so the flywheel needs no lubrication. it’s almost maintenance-free.

Assembly and Storage

While the step-through design of the York RB420 Recumbent Exercise Bike allows for easy mounting, the model still has more pieces than an upright model. Hence, you might need an extra pair of hands upon assembly.

This bike comes entirely disassembled, so you need an hour or two to put everything together. Luckily, York provides a detailed and clear manual, a hardware list, and assembly instructions, so you won't have a hard time putting your RB420 bike up and running.

With a 1650x630mm base size and 1250mm of height, this recumbent bike is not easy to store. However, you can move it around with ease because of its transportation wheels and stabilizers, which are a great addition to this exercise bike. They enable easy movement of this hefty machine, even over uneven surfaces.

Warranty

A lifelong warranty on the York RB420 frame seems like a good deal and a safety net, even with the high quality of this recumbent bike. As for other parts, they go under a one-year warranty, but only if you don’t misuse this machine—it is only for home use, not for commercial use.

York RB420 Recumbent Bike - Final Verdict

With its straightforward yet stable and durable design, the York RB420 Recumbent Exercise Bike is comfortable, functional, and easy to use. While we needed an extra pair of hands and a bit more time to assemble it, once we got on the machine and hit the pedal, it became clear why this machine is one of York’s best-sellers.